Japanese-Pacific
p. 11 · Read in the full issue
Air Services
Keep Them Out of Australia and New Guinea!
rE announcement is made that Japan, after a year of considera tion and discussion, on March 8 inau gurated a regular airmail and passen ger service between Tokio and the Palau Islands, via the Mariana and Caroline Islands.
Some newspapers state that the Japanese now are expected to apply for permission to enter Australia, follow ing the precedent set by the granting of permission to the Dutch Royal Air Lines, to run a line to Sydney.
The plan evidently is that the Japan ese airliner should fly directly south from the Caroline Islands to New Gui nea; and thence follow the regular air mail track down the east coast of Aus tralia. .
Ninety per cent, of Australians will express the fervent wish that by some means or other this development should be blocked. It is no use filling our mouths with the American type of ideal ism and saying that our trade should be open to all-comers. The plain facts of the matter are that the Dutch of the Netherlands Indies are friends and potential allies, whereas the Japanese definitely are not our friends and are our potential enemies.
It is in the highest degree important that Japanese airmen should not be permitted to make themselves familiar with the air routes from the Japanese mandated islands to the Queensland coast —which, of course, would be their line of approach to Australia in the event of any trouble developing.
There is no reason, commercial, spirit ual or political, why a Japanese airline should be permitted to form a link be tween the Japanese mandated islands, New Guinea and Australia.